Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Nine-Dragon Sigil

This article is part of the blog tour for Sherlock Holmes and the Nine-Dragon Sigil by Tim Symonds.
For more information on the tour, such as giveaways and tour schedule, visit the official blog tour page of Sherlock Holmes and the Nine-Dragon Sigil.

Rumours abound that a deadly plot is hatching – not in the fog-ridden back-alleys of London’s Limehouse district or the sinister Devon moors of the Hound of the Baskervilles but in faraway Peking. Holmes’s task – discover whether such a plot exists and if so, foil it. But are the assassins targeting the young and progressive Ch’ing Emperor or his imperious aunt, the fearsome Empress Dowager Cixi? The murder of either could spark a civil war. The fate of China and the interests of Britain’s vast Empire in the Orient could be...

Tim Symonds’ SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE NINE-DRAGON SIGIL could rival Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As a lover of period pieces, especially those with a mystery, the idea of reading a Sherlock Holmes story was an easy decision.

For me, the story itself wasn’t just entertaining. It was visually satisfying with its richness of detail and descriptions. While Edwardian England is of interest to me, early twentieth century China tickled the senses with its sea of color, movement, sounds, tastes and smells.

Purveyors of a good bit of detective work have nothing on Mr. Symonds. I loved everything about this story from the pacing–the opening with Watson reminded me of so many other Sherlock Holmes stories that it was easy to fall under its spell–to the utterly fascinating descriptions of China, I was instantly taken in and quick to read.

Whether you are a lover of detective stories, period pieces, or a combination thereof, it simply isn’t possible to go wrong choosing this Sherlock Holmes story. And I certainly hope that you’ll be as tickled with it as I was.